Get an overview of your topic

Before you start collecting books and articles, get an overview of your topic in encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks or atlases. These kinds of materials also help you to:

  • Understand leading research themes and theories on your topic
  • Identify experts, researchers and theorists
  • Discover concepts and related vocabulary
  • Identify potential research questions or ways to narrow your topic
  • Locate facts, statistics and bibliographies (lists of related sources)

Wikipedia is convenient, but don't rely on it alone; most UVic instructors do not accept Wikipedia as a cited source for your assignments. 

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